Mingo Falls is a 120 foot tall waterfall that can be found within the Qualla Boundary of North Carolina. Or an easier way to think of it, Mingo Falls is only about 6 miles away from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park‘s Oconaluftee Visitor Center. So if you’re doing the national park, this although outside the park pretty much counts as one of the attractions anyway! You’re basically going to drive through a small town with a lot of private camping places, eventually finding a little parking area which is on Google Maps as the “Mingo Falls Access Area”. From there it is not really a hike so much as it is a 0.4 mile walk up a giant staircase to the viewing platform at the base of the falls. You’ll want a camera with a good zoom feature if you’re taking pictures because the view is recessed from the falls, even though the water will be going right under your feet at the viewing area. I went during a period of low flow, so as usual, my picture does not do it justice.
